Although my
husband and I travel a lot, we also travel with trepidation. My husband is a T12
incomplete paraplegic and is paralysed from the waist down and is unable to
walk. We have found that there is a great deal of difference in understanding
and interpreting the words “wheelchair accessible”. So therefore, even though
our wonderful travel agent Dianne from Flight Centre Booval Australia, assured
us that the Rocky Mountaineer was fully wheelchair accessible, we tend to wonder
what we will get ourselves into when we sign up for our travel adventures.

However, from
the time we arrived at the departure point for the train, Vancouver, all our
fears were allayed quickly. We were helped from the moment our car pulled up at
the front door. We were taken to the checkout counter and given our tickets.
We were then taken to an area marked “travellers who require assistance”. After
a short wait, we were collected and taken to the train via the platform. My
husband was then transferred into an aisle chair, the same as the ones the
airlines use, and for the same reason, as the aisles are too narrow for a
wheelchair. Waiting at the train was a platform that was so simple, it was
amazing. It was a ramp that was operated by hand and as my husband said, the
simple things are the best. From there he was taken to an elevator, which was
open at the top, and delivered to the first floor of the carriage. We were
given the seats directly opposite the lift. At this point my husband had to
transfer into his assigned seat. Unless you are able to do this, you would be
unable to enjoy this travel experience, as you are not able to stay in your
chair.

Shaun O'Sullivan uses the lift
to navigate between levels on the train.

The dining
section is on the ground floor. Prior to an announcement regarding moving
downstairs for dining, an attendant arrived with the aisle chair to take my
husband downstairs. Also the toilet was downstairs. One of the two toilets
have a double door than can be opened. My husband found the toilet fairly easy
to use, remembering that he is in the aisle chair at the time. The dining car
was also easy to access and he was placed at the first table, from where he
could transfer from the aisle chair and slide across to his seat by the
window. My husband was transferred after meals back upstairs.

The first day
went from Vancouver to Kamloops. Once we arrived at Kamloops there were buses
waiting to transfer all passengers to their motels for an overnight stay.
However these busses were not wheelchair accessible. The Rocky Mountaineer
company had thought of everything, and a wheelchair accessible taxi had been
ordered to take us to our hotel where we were given a fully wheelchair
accessible room. During the day, a dinner theatre had been offered during our
stay in the town. We had decided not to go, as we were not sure how we would
get there, however the theatre was at the hotel where we were staying, so we
would have been able to attend. The next morning a taxi had been ordered again
and we got back to the station without any worries. We were ably assisted by
the staff once again onto the train.

From
Kamloops
we enjoyed another day on the train, finishing in Banff. While we were on the
train, the staff accessed our travel documents to check which hotel we were
staying. Dianne had already organized a transfer to the hotel, but in case they
didn’t show, the Rocky Mountaineer Company had organized a taxi. At no stage
were we left to fend for ourselves at either Kamploopsor Banff.

Mountain view from
the Rocky Mountaineer.

At no stage was
my husband made to feel like an inconvenience. Several times he was asked if
there was anything that he needed, and they stressed that he should not worry
about how many times he needed assistance. I would also like to add that every
person in that carriage was made to feel like that. In other words, the
customer service was exceptional. I would have no hesitation to recommend this
experience for wheelchair users.